The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-01-30

We give the following as the most i'm
portant document lately contributed 10
the literature of a subject now eugros5ing
popular consideration. The writer is a
prominent man, and his opportunity for
observation has been varied and extern
sive:
Editor of Meriden Republican:
MY DEAR SIR The performance of
my duties as a public prosecutor in the
police court of this city has afforded me
exceptional facilities for studying the
effects of liquor drinking upon society,
and furnishes me with the only possible
excuse for presuming that my views
upon the subject may have some interest
and contain some intrinsic value.
Penn me, therefore, To formulate a
few concise propositions, which, as my
experience has taught me, are founded
upon the bed rock of truth, and which, if
conceded 10 be true, go very far toward
shaping the course which our legislature
should adopt in its tf,,rts to destroy an
evil which every intelligent: man recOg-
nizes and deplores.
NV propositions are these:
l. 1t is certainly within the bounds TO
say that three-fOurths of the criminal
cases and three fourths of the pauperism
of the country are either the direct or the
indirect result of liquor drinking.
,. Nearly all of this crime and pau
perism is due to the excessive drinking
of strong liquors-rum, gin, whisky and
brandy. Almost none of it is due TO the
drinking of malt liquors and light wines.
8. The very common practice of adul
teratIng liquors by the introduction of
highly poisonous substances is a chief
cause of the maddening, degrading eff
fects which follow in the train of excess
i've drinking.
4. Excessive drinking of adulterated
liquors is largely confined to the low
groggeries and dives which disgrace
every city and large town i'll our COM
mOnwealth.
). A small minority of our citizens
drink to excess large majority drink,
but drink in moderation.
liz there be those who can not or will
not accept these five propositions as true,
they are advised to halt in their reading
and go no further. If there be those,
who are willing to be convinced, but are
not, they are recommended to study the
police records as detailed IN the city re-
ports for any one of the last ten Years
a slight study of the facts contained in
those records, and a brief talk with the
chief of police, or any of the cou-t Off
cials must satisfy any mind that these
propositions are really nothing more
than automatic truths. which could east
ly be demonstrated, We're my space un-
limited.
BY those who do accept the premises
the lessons which follow therefrom can
be easily apprehended. Whenever the
State is asked TO enact a law, the appli-
cant Ia confronted with two inquiries:
What is the evil: 2.-What is the
best legislative remedy:
Plainly, the evil about the liquor traffic
is the crime, pauperism and degradation
which result from the present method of
conducting it. Also. plainly, these evil
results are inflicted upon us, because GER
tain members of the community drink
strong and adulterated liquors 10 an ex-
cess. And also. plainly. since that kind
of drinking is largely confined 10 the
dives and groggeries, those are the places
which the strong hand of the law should
wipe out. as with a sponge.
This idea is recognized in the present
law, where il is provided that only ''suit-
able persons" shall be licensed. but in
practice that provision is a total failure
for a variety of reasons. Ii has become
evident that il is not safe to leave
the matter To the discretion of commas
sioners, because the commissioners either